We use cookies on our website. To learn more about cookies, how we use them on our site and how to change your cookie settings, please view our cookie policy. By continuing to use this site without changing your settings, you consent to our use of cookies in accordance with our cookie policy.

John E. Callaghan

John Callaghan is a partner in Gowling WLG's Toronto office with a broad practice in civil and commercial litigation and regulatory offence work. He is a past leader of the firm's Commercial Litigation Group.

John has acted on an array of different matters. He regularly acts for large corporations, financial institutions and government and regulated industries. He has appeared at both the trial and appellate level, and has reported cases in such areas as contract, environmental law, elections law, corporate, competition, constitutional, statutory interpretation and class actions. He has acted on several public inquires, including the Walkerton Inquiry and the Cornwall Inquiry.

John has been recognized by several publications as a leading commercial counsel in Canada, including Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 lawyers in Canada; Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to The Leading 500 Cross-Border Lawyers in Canada; Benchmark Canada: The Definitive Guide to Canada's Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys; the Best Lawyers in Canada and Financier Worldwide Litigation and Adjudicator Resolution Handbook.

John was elected a Bencher by the legal profession in Ontario through the Law Society of Upper Canada, the governing body of lawyers in Ontario. In his capacity as a Bencher, John adjudicates professional misconduct allegations against lawyers. At the Law Society, John is currently the Vice-Chair of the Audit and Finance Committee and is Vice-Chair of Government Relations.

John is the second-longest-serving member of the Civil Rules Committee in Ontario, having been appointed by successive Chief Justices of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. The Rules Committee is responsible for drafting and revising the Rules of Civil Procedure for the Province of Ontario. In this capacity, John has conducted numerous reviews regarding the civil justice system, and has been involved in most of the major procedural reforms in Ontario over this last two decades.

John is co-author of Class Actions: Law and Practice (Lexis/Nexis). The text is the leading authority on the subject of class actions in Canada and has been frequently cited with approval by the Supreme Court of Canada and other appellate and trial courts across Canada.

John is a frequent lecturer on issues of procedure and trial advocacy. He has chaired several of the leading class action conferences in Ontario. He has also spent a number of years as an instructor of trial advocacy with the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto.

Involvement in the legal profession

Vice Chair, Law Society of Upper Canada, Audit and Finance

Vice-Chair, Law Society of Upper Canada, Government Relations

The Advocates' Society, Director (2007-2009)

Chair, The Advocates' Society - International Conferences to The Hague (2004) and Ireland (2006)

Gowling WLG is an international law firm comprising the members of Gowling WLG International Limited, an English Company Limited by Guarantee, and their respective affiliates. Each member and affiliate is an autonomous and independent entity. Gowling WLG International Limited promotes, facilitates and co-ordinates the activities of its members but does not itself provide services to clients. Our structure is explained in more detail on our Legal Information page.